New walkers, same tightrope

There are at least three possible meanings to the city council votes Stocktonians rendered Nov. 6:

There are at least three possible meanings to the city council votes Stocktonians rendered Nov. 6:

» We're mad as hell and we want change.

» We're mad as hell and we want to take it out on someone.

» Or both.

We start from the assumption of voter anger, the city landscape pitted as it is with plenty of reasons such as foreclosures, budget woes, bankruptcy and criminal violence. It matters not a whit that the ousted council members - Ann Johnston, Dale Fritchen and Diana Lowery - did not cause all these problems. Or that solving them will be simple or quick.

What matters is the council members defending their seats - excepting the council's Teflon-member-in-chief Kathy Miller who won re-election - were in charge.

So come January, Michael Tubbs will replace Fritchen, Moses Zapien will replace Lowery and Anthony Silva will replace Johnston. Then they will help name a replacement for Susan Eggman, who at midterm in her council tenure was elected to the state Assembly.

If change is what Stocktonians wanted, that's what they're about to get ... sort of.

Know this: There will be no call on the voters to approve a sales tax increase to put more police officers on the street. At least not until the bankruptcy process is complete.

Silva had made that possibly politically popular but strategically impractical suggestion as he campaigned for mayor. If we were to pass such a tax tomorrow and the money flooded into the city treasury, you can bet city creditors and their lawyers would be there to fill their saddlebags.

The mayor-elect may be faunching to put his stamp on the city, but higher sales taxes should not be one of them. Neither, and we think this is just as important, should Silva go gunning for City Manager Bob Deis.

Deis has proven himself a skilled administrator who has guided the city through waters no U.S. city this size has sailed before.

Sure, his skin may be thin and he doesn't always brook fools well, but you can't argue with the quality of the administrative team he's assembled or his willingness to tell the council what they often don't want to hear.

We believe Tubbs and Zapien have the smarts to evaluate Deis' advice. We hope Silva does. We trust Eggman's replacement will.

The city walks on a razor's edge. The last thing we need is an avoidable misstep that causes us to lose our balance.